William Petty

William Petty (2 May 1737-7 May 1805), also known as Lord Shelburne, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 4 July 1782 to 2 April 1783, succeeding Lord Rockingham and preceding William Cavendish-Bentinck.

Biography
William Petty was born in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland on 2 May 1737, and he joined the British Army after graduating from the University of Oxford. He fought at Rochefort and the Battle of Minden, and he became an aide-de-camp to King George III after the Battle of Kloster Kampen. In 1760, he was elected to the British Parliament, and he was elevated to the House of Lords a year later. Petty served as President of the Board of Trade under George Grenville, but he resigned this position after a few months and became associated with opposition leader William Pitt the Elder. In 1766, he was made Southern Secretary by Pitt, and he departed office in 1768 during the Corsican crisis. Along with Pitt, he supported a conciliatory policy towards the Thirteen Colonies, and he was appointed Prime Minister in 1782 following the death of his ally Lord Rockingham. His government was brought down by the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which was seen as "too generous" by members of the government; it granted the United States too many lands on the frontier. He permanently lost his power and influence after leaving the government, and he blamed his poor education on his downfall; however, his nasty personality made it hard for people to like him. He died in Westminster, Middlesex in 1805 at the age of 68.